A variety of rodent bait stations are presently in commercial use. Generally, known bait stations provide an enclosure having one or more openings therein for the target animal to enter. A rodenticide is placed within the station, often mixed with a feed as bait. The target rodents enter the station in search of food, consume or contact the poison, and later die after leaving the station.
In one form of commercially available prior art station, the enclosure comprises a rectangular container made of rigid plastic integrally molded with a lid. The container has two rat- or mouse-sized holes in opposing positions on opposite sides of the container, and has internal walls providing a passage from one opening to the other. An opening near the center of the passage permits the target animal to turn the corner and enter a chamber containing the bait and rodenticide. The lid is secured in a closed position after the station is loaded with the bait and rodenticide. A weak spot is molded on the bottom of the container to permit the bait station to be nailed or spiked in position.
Such bait stations are designed for compliance with EPA guidelines. The latter generally require the station to: (1) be impervious to weather, (2) lockable, (3) be resistant to breakage by larger non-target animals, (4) be child resistant, i.e., the interior walls should be designed to prevent a child from reaching in the entrance and pulling out the poisoned bait, (5) be capable of being anchored or secured in place, (6) have holes sized to prevent larger, non-target animals such as dogs and cats from entering, (7) be capable of displaying warnings, and (8) not present an attractive appearance to children. To make the bait station lockable, known bait stations provide a screw-and-socket arrangement whereby the lid can be secured to the container with a screw that is difficult to remove. The lid and bottom portion have also been provided with alignable holes through which a padlock can be placed. These measures render the station lockable, but opening the station in order to reload it becomes more difficult when the lid is padlocked or screwed shut. The present invention provides a more convenient system for locking the bait station which does not require use of a separate fastener such as a padlock or screw.